Scrip-meter.



ITO/762,511.

UN ITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SCRIP-MEVTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,511, dated June 14, 1904. Application filed November 14, 1902. Serial No. 131,324. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GARDNER E. BEACH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scrip- Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a novel device for enabling a person to automatically calculate and subdivide what is known as railwayscrip into various amounts, according to the payments required. This railway-scrip is a long strip or ribbon of paper, on one side of which is printed in continuous order the values in dollars and fractions of dollars to the desired amount. The face of the strip bears a scale which is graduated by fractions of the value of five cents each throughout its length, and the holder of the scrip presents it in payment for tickets or fares, and it is necessary for the agent or conductor to sever from the length of the scrip a suflicient amount to pay for the ticket or fare.

My device I call a scrip-meter; and it consists of a plate which can be fastened or placed upon a table or counter. Its upper face has at one or both edges a scale graduated, according to the scrip, in divisions of five cents each, with the figures indicating each division stamped or imprinted in their proper places. The dollar-marks are indicated by larger figures, so that the scrip can be laid upon the plate, and a sliding cutter, which is adjusted on one edge of the plate, can then be moved to the proper point on the scale and the value measured thereon and the scrip severed Without any other calculation, all as hereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aplan view of my scrip-meter. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken through the line m m, showing the slide-cutter raised toits open position. Fig. 3 is an edge view of a section at one end of the scrip-meter, showing the cutter closed down upon the plate; and Fig. 4 is an edge View of a section of the plate, showing the abutting stops at the left-hand end of the plate.

Let A represent a metal or other plate of any desired length and of a width adapted to have a scale B indicated along one or both edges and a space O adjoining the scale or scales wide enough to receive the scrip to be measured. In some instances I shall use a scale along one edge only; but where I use a scale along both side edges the space C between them will be wide enough to receive the scrip. The scale B is divided into fivecent spaces or divisions corresponding to the divisions on the face of the scrip, and it has figures between each division indicating the amount represented by the lines. At the points where the dollar-marks occur I make the figures larger and more prominent, so that they can be readily distinguished. At one end of the plate A, I make one or more short upward projecting abutting stops 6, against which the end of the scrip is placed and held while the operation of measurement and subdivision is being accomplished. In use the plate is either placed loosely upon or screwed to the top of a table or desk, with the abutments or stops 6 at the left-hand end of the plate, and the measuring is accomplished from the left to the right; but it is apparent that it could be reversed and the measuring done from right to left. WVith reference to the scale or figures on the plate the abutments should be on the zero end of the scale.

F is a sliding cutter,'which is adapted to slide along one edge of the plate A and be stopped at any line indicated on the scale. This cutter is hinged at one end to the slide which carries it, so that it can be raised up to the position shown at Fig. 2 or closed down upon the plate, so as to extend transversely across it, and its right-hand edge is beveled and sharpened like the edge of the blade of a scissors, so that when it presses down upon the paper of the scrip'the free end of the scrip can be elevated and pulled, so as to cut or tear it off evenly along the sharpened edge. A knob or rearward projection g on the back of this cutter serves as a lever or push-plate upon which the finger or thumb of the operator can be placed in order to move the cutter forward when it is closed down upon the plate.

The graduated plate A is adapted to measure railroad-scrip on which graduations in fractions of a dollar are printed. The graduations on the plate correspond with the graduations on the scrip, so that when the scrip is measured on the scale the amount measured and indicated by the scale will be the amount of scrip to be severed.

Various sliding devices can be used for attaching the cutter to the plate. In this instance 1 have shown a hollow tube It secured along the rear edge of the plate from end to end. The tube has a slot 11 in its top extending the full length of the plate. The slide 7' moves inside the tube it and projects through the slot, and the cutter is hinged to the part which projects above the slot, so that the cutter can move freely to any point along the length of the plate. I

The plate A can be screwed down upon the top of a table or counter, if desired, so as to be a permanent fixture, or it may be allowed to remain free. Before placing the scrip in position on the plate the cutter F is thrown upward to the position shown at Fig. 2 to allow the scrip to be adjusted upon the plate, and after it is properly placed the cutter can be dropped down upon the scrip and moved to the proper line to be torn ofl. Instead, however, of using a sliding or movable cutter I can hinge a stationary cutter at the zero end of the graduated plate and place the free end of the scrip on the scale in the opposite direction, so that its extremity is at the proper mark and then drop the cutter down upon the ticket at the zero-point, where it is to be severed.

If desired, the scale and cutter arrangement herein described can be placed on the cover of the book which contains the scrip.

This device will save a large amount of time and will be absolutely correct. No matter how much of the scrip has been torn 01f the scrip-meter will indicate the proper amount to be removed for anew ticket or to pay for another fare without waiting to calculate from the first figure exhibited on the scrip.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A scrip-meter for measuring railroadscrip consisting of a graduated scale corresponding with the graduations on the scrip: a stop-abutment at the left-hand or zero end of the scale, and a sliding cutter adapted to be moved to any line on the scale substantially as described.

2. An instrument for measuring and severing railroad-scrip consisting of a plate having a scale along one of its edges corresponding with the graduations on the scrip: a stopabutment at the left-hand or zero end of the plate and a transverse cutter adapted to slide along the back edge of the plate and drop across the plateat any line of the scale substantially as described.

3. In an instrument for measuring and severing railroad -scrip a plate having a scale along one of its edges corresponding with the graduations on the scrip: a sliding cutter adapted to move in a guide along one edge of the plate and hinged to the slide so that it can be raised to an upright position or dropped transversely across the plate substantially as described.

4. In an instrument for measuring and severing railroad-scrip a plate having a scale along one of its edges corresponding with the grduations on the scrip: a hinged cutter adapted tobe thrown upward to an upright position and dropped transversely across the plate substantially as described.

5. In an instrument for measuring and severing railroad-scrip a plate having a scale along one of its edges corresponding with the graduations on the scrip: a cutter attached to the edge of the plate having a beveled and sharpened edge adapted to be placed transversely across the plate substantially as described.

6. In combination with a mileage-stripmeasuring device a paper-cutting device supported at one end only on said measuring device so that the mileage-strip can be slid under the other end of said cutting device.

7. In combination with a mileage-stripmeasuring device a yielding paper-cutting device supported at one end on said measuring device.

Signed at San Francisco, California, this 2 1th day of October, 1902.

GARDNER E. BEACH.

Witnesses:

EDWIN \V. WVoonwARD, L. R. ELLIs. 

